Pancake races are an old custom in England. People race against each other holding a pan with a pancake (crepe) in it, and have to toss the pancake at certain places. You can see pictures of this event on this page:

There is an interesting history behind this custom. Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday, known as "Mardi Gras" in France) is the day before the period known as Lent, when for 40 days Christians did not eat fatty foods (for example: meat, fish, eggs and milk). Families had a feast on this day to eat those foods which could not be kept for 40 days. The eggs and milk were used by adding flour and frying them to make pancakes.

About 500 years ago, a woman was cooking her pancakes at home when she heard the church bell. She ran out of her house and rushed to the church, still holding her frying pan and wearing her apron, tossing the pancake into the air to stop it from burning. People found this amusing, and it inspired them to celebrate the start of Lent by pancake racing! Events like this take place in many towns and villages in England on this day._________________UK Student Life: http://www.ukstudentlife.comStudy, travel, work in the UK. Learn British English